Love Thyself First
Dr. Martha’s Monday Morning Motivational
Monday, July 18, 2011
Buddha said, “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” The question is not should you love yourself but do you love yourself? I am not speaking of a vain, self-righteous, selfish love but rather a love of self-acceptance and understanding.
Loving yourself isn’t easy, about four years ago it was brought to my awareness that I didn’t really love myself. Looking in the mirror and realizing I couldn’t say, “ I love you” to the person staring back at me was an eye opener. I came to the realization like many that I didn’t really know myself enough to love myself. It has been a constant journey and much like life it is a journey that continues as long as our breath continues. Learning to love myself has allowed me to in turn truly love others.
When you look in the mirror what do you see? Do you see a person created in God’s perfect image or a myriad of imperfections? To fully love oneself means to have self-respect, a positive self-image, and unconditional self-acceptance. Loving yourself without reservation or saying “I love myself, but…” It is important to realize every person, bears their own unique characteristics and qualities. We all vary in talent and ability. No one is perfect and it is those imperfections that make us an individual. It is important that we know that we all have the ability to work on ourselves and are never done evolving into a better version of ourselves.
In order to love yourself more you must understand yourself more. Just as in a relationship, getting to know someone allows you to better understand that person and from that understanding comes a greater level of acceptance. Start by realizing you are human and that you have the potential and capability to rise above anything that gets in your way. It is important that you look and feel your best and to do so you must take care all aspects of yourself: physically, emotionally, and chemically. You must love yourself enough to want the best for yourself in all areas and not just in a specific area. Everything in life is about balance and moderation.
Physically, make sure you stay active by exercising and moving about. Motion is life, making exercise a key aspect of longevity. Chemically, we are organic beings and not chemical beings, make sure you eat proper foods and take in adequate water. Remember food is fuel. Emotionally, take time for yourself and just be still, continually learn, and meditate or pray and listen to God’s sweet voice. All three aspects are important to maintain an overall level of wellness that creates life’s balance. Chiropractic is awesome as it maintains nervous system function and addresses all three areas. It has been an integral part in my journey to love myself for who I was created.
Loving yourself is a crucial foundation for all your relationships, because in order to love another you must first love yourself. It is impossible to love another more than you love yourself, therefore loving yourself sets the standard for loving others. By loving yourself more you actually have more love for others and the world needs more love. So go ahead fall in love with yourself.
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” –Dr. Seuss
Love. Laugh. Adjust.
Dr. Martha Nessler, Innate Girl